Breathe You In
by escapewithstories
Summary: This is an early birthday present for IReadAndWriteSometimes. It's just ridiculous Shandy fluff.


A while back, my wonderful partner in crime IReadAndWriteSometimes expressed a wish for a fluffy Shandy one-shot; just our two favorite idiots being an adorably normal couple. In an attempt to be a good friend, I started that fic, but real life got busy and I never got around to completing it. It has been sitting unfinished in my docs for longer than I'm willing to admit. Let's just say... _It's been 84 years_ … and leave it at that. Anyhoo, her birthday is coming up soon and I thought what better way to celebrate her than finally finishing that fic she requested so long ago. So here it is! It's nothing special, just a random idea that popped into my head of what I thought Shandy being all cute and normal would be like, and I'm afraid it may have devolved into utter silliness. You have been warned.

Since I wanted this to be a surprise for her, she was not given the opportunity to beta for me like usual. Please forgive any mistakes you come across, they are my own :)

Happy Early Birthday, IReadAndWriteSometimes! Having you as a partner/writer in crime has been one of the greatest joys. I'm so grateful that a young whipper-snapper like you is willing to keep me on my toes, and there's no one else I'd rather share a creepy brain with XD

Sharon was sitting at her desk in the living room, sorting through the mail while she waited for Andy to return. He had missed his typical Thursday night meeting due to a case, and now that it was solved, he took advantage of the small window of opportunity to attend one before their scheduled dinner date with the Provenzas. While he was gone, Sharon had taken care of the grocery shopping and picked up their dry cleaning so that they would be prepared for the upcoming week. She had been back home for over half an hour now and was becoming increasingly concerned with Andy's whereabouts. He had messaged her twenty minutes ago, long after his meeting was supposed to be over, saying he was finally on his way. Considering it usually only took ten minutes to get to and from the church where his meetings were held, she was worried that traffic was already backing up and further delaying him. She glanced at her watch and sighed. Traffic was the precise reason they had planned to leave the condo before now.

She had just finished sorting the mail into separate piles—trash, bills, hers, and Andy's— when the jingling and scraping of keys being turned in the lock caught her attention. Looking at her watch again, her shoulders sagged in relief. Even with traffic, if they left now, they could still make it to dinner on time.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Andy shouted from the foyer, the clattering of keys against the entryway table could be heard soon after. "One of the newer kids caught me after the meeting wanting to chat," his voice lowered to a normal volume when he realized Sharon was standing at her desk in the living room, "and he had a lot to say. Then traffic was a nightmare." He rolled his eyes as he slipped off his shoes and pushed them next to the side of the couch with his foot. When he noticed Sharon's confused expression he pointed down the hall towards their bedroom and said, "I've got to go take a shower," then immediately took off in the same direction.

"Andy," Sharon called after him, also making her way down the hall in quick pursuit, "we don't have time for you to shower, we have to be at Louie and Patrice's in," she glanced at her watch yet again, "twenty minutes. Besides," she stepped into their room, noting he had already tossed his wallet on to the bed and shedded his denim jacket, and her tone became even more exasperated, "you've already taken a shower today."

"I know, but" Andy paused to tug both his polo and undershirt over his head in one swift motion, "I smell like—" he lifted the shirts to his nose and cringed before holding them out for Sharon to breathe in as well.

Sharon didn't even make it the final few steps to meet him when her face twisted up in disgust. She could faintly smell the scent of cigarette smoke as she walked down the hall, but now that she was inside the room with Andy, it was far worse. "Ugh." She made flicking motion with her hand, indicating for him to get the offensive smelling clothing away from her face.

"Sorry." Andy moved his arm to the side and unceremoniously dropped them on top of the jean jacket that he had already discarded on the floor. "The kid was smoking like a train engine while we talked."

Sharon lightly covered her nose with the back of her hand, hoping to shield her lungs from some of the horrid smell. "I can tell," she choked out.

Andy moved his forearm to his face and also gave it a sniff, cringing once again. "I think the smoke seeped into my pores. So," he unbuttoned and slid out of his jean, then kicked them over to the growing pile of clothes, "I need a shower."

"Yes," Sharon said on a giggle at the sight of Andy standing with his hands braced on his hips in only his boxers and socks. "I'll go throw these in the washer before the smell permeates the entire condo."

She stooped down to pick up the small pile of clothes and when she righted herself again she gave Andy a thorough glance from head to toe. Pointing to his underwear, she wiggled a finger in an unspoken 'those, too' motion.

For his part, Andy just smiled roguishly at her as he made a show of pulling the elastic band out far from his waist before not so gracefully yanking them down to his ankles and stepping out of them. He ignored her outstretched hand and instead tossed them at her, hitting her in the face.

"Andrew Flynn!" Sharon scolded him as she jerked the material off of her head, leaving her hair in slight disarray. The frown she wore slowly transformed into an indulgent smile when she caught sight of Andy's shameless grin and she lightheartedly shook her head. "You're ridiculous."

"I know," Andy said confidently as he pulled the final two items of clothing from his feet. This time he was kind enough to drape the two socks over the pile of clothes she held. "Thank you," he said quietly and placed a gentle kiss to her temple before turning towards the bathroom. "I'll hurry."

"Please do." Sharon punctuated her statement by swatting his bare behind, causing him to slightly skip in step and a small yelp to escape his throat.

Thankfully, they were only having dinner at Provenza and Patrice's house instead of meeting them at a restaurant, leaving her a little less concerned about running late. On her way back from depositing Andy's clothes in the washer, she stopped in the living room just long enough to grab her phone so she could at least text Patrice and let her know they were behind schedule. Sharon arrived back in the bedroom just in time to hear the water in the bathroom being turned off. Deciding it would save some time, she stepped into the closet to pick out clothes for Andy, easily finding a pair of jeans and his lavender sweater.

Since Andy was already out of the shower, she knew he wouldn't be in the bathroom too much longer, so she took a seat in the armchair next to their dresser and waited for him. She was smoothing the wrinkles from his sweater where it had bunched up in her lap when a thud followed by a crash caused her head to snap up.

"Son of a—" Andy's muffled voice sounded through the door. "Every damn time!"

His last statement had realization dawning on her, and the momentary panic she felt subsided, quickly being replaced by amusement. Andy always managed to knock over at least one bottle on the shelf holding several different hair and facial products, and it resulted in the same reaction from him _every damn time._ He had threatened to throw away every single bottle on more than one occasion, but when Sharon politely reminded them that several of them were his, he would immediately end his tirade.

The bathroom door opened and Andy stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist. Sharon looked up at him, and finding that he still had a scowl on his face, a snort-laugh escaped her. When he pointed at her and said, "Don't", that laugh turned into a small fit of giggles.

Andy moved to the dresser and opened up one of the top drawers that contained his socks and underwear. "We need a bigger shelf!" he suddenly exclaimed as he pulled out a pair of each and forcefully shut the drawer once again.

"Andy," Sharon's eyes widened in surprise at his newest solution to the problem, "that shelf barely fits in there as it is."

Andy ignored her logic. "It was fine...until…," he stammered as he dropped his towel and struggled to get his legs into his boxers, "Rusty decided...he needed...to start fixing his hair and," he growled in further frustration, "added even more crap to it!"

"So," Sharon pressed her lips into a thin line, attempting to stifle yet another giggle at watching Andy's failed attempts to get dressed. Clearing her throat and desperately trying to maintain a straight face, she looked up at him when he finally stood straight again. "So, it's now Rusty's fault you're unable to pick up a bottle without knocking the rest over?"

"No, of course not!" Andy flopped down onto the bed so he could also pull his socks on. "I'm just saying we need a bigger shelf."

Sharon slid open the middle drawer next to her and pulled out a white undershirt. "We can look at getting a bigger shelf next time we are out shopping." She held out the the shirt for him with a smile that was just a bit too sweet.

Knowing she was just appeasing him for the moment, Andy's eyes narrowed on her when he grabbed the offered item. "Sure we will."

Andy didn't see the smirk she then gave him for his attention was drawn to putting on his undershirt. The product he put in his hair was still drying and he was taking extra care so as not to dishevel it. Sharon next handed him his sweater next and though the neck was larger on it, he still proceeded with caution in pulling it over his head. The last to be put on were his pants, and while he was sliding into them, Sharon took a moment to step into the bathroom and give herself a once over in the mirror. She left out a huff of frustration when she realized several strands of her own hair were still in disarray from Andy's little stunt earlier. He chose that moment to walk up behind her with a mischievous grin, and with her eyes focus on his in the mirror, she glared at him. It only managed to cause his smirk to widen further.

Sharon turned around just as he rested his hands on her hips and looked up at him with a raised brow. "Are you finally ready to go?" Andy leaned down to kiss her, but she brought her wrist up between their faces, making a show of looking at her watch. "We were supposed to be there in five minutes and it will take twenty to get there."

She was attempting to sound agitated, but the amusement dancing in her eyes gave her true thoughts away. Andy grabbed her wrist and lowered it as he stepped a little closer to her, trapping her hand between their bodies. This time when he lowered his head to kiss her, she lifted her lips to meet his. The kiss was ended far more abruptly than he intended when Sharon suddenly pulled her head back.

"Andy?" Sharon said questioningly as she rose up on her toes and inhaled a breath next to his ear. She dropped back down to her heels and looked up at him perplexed. "Why do you smell like Rusty?"

"Ugh," Andy dropped her hand that he was still holding, "I used the last of my hair stuff this morning so I had to borrow Rusty's." His lips turned down into a pout when he reached up and gently touched the ends of his hair. "I don't know how he uses this crap. It smells awful and my hair is now hard as a rock."

Sharon reached a hand up to mimic Andy's movements and giggled when she found his hair really had become like stone. "I don't think you're supposed to use so much at once."

"It just came oozing out," Andy wildly gestured toward his open hand as though he had just squeezed some product into it, "what was I supposed to do?"

"Maybe," Sharon paused as she stifled another giggle, "you shouldn't wait until you run out of your own before buying more."

"Some help you are," Andy grumbled petulantly at her. "You know," he turned to leave the bathroom but stopped at the door, "I was going to use your stuff, but I didn't want to listen to Provenza complaining all night long about me smelling like a woman." His glower intensified when she snorted, and as he left the room, he mumbled loud enough for her to hear, "Maybe I should've taken my chances."

Sharon final lost what little control she had and her deep, throaty laughter, the one that Andy loved so much, reached his ears as he exited their bedroom. When she joined him in the living room where he was putting his shoes on, she had a tissue in hand, dabbing at the moisture underneath her eyes. He loved that he could make her laugh that hard, even if it was at his own expense. It was one of his favorite things about being with her.

Andy remained in his spot, perched on the arm of the couch as Sharon walked up to him and stepped between his legs. She reached up and patted his shoulder as she let out a happy content sigh. She stood there for a few more moments, a ridiculously wide smile on her face before finally saying, "You're partner is going to be extremely displeased with us if we don't leave now."

Andy rolled his eyes at the thought, but still continued to smile back at her. He squeezed her hip before nudging her back so he could stand. "I'm finally ready."

He placed a chaste kiss against her forehead then slid his hand to her lower back and guided her to the front door.

. . .

Dinner had been just as enjoyable as they expected it to be and they ended up staying much later than originally intended. Provenza had only managed to complain about their tardiness once before Patrice quickly shut him down and told him to be nice. That didn't stop him from harassing his partner for the rest of the night though, particularly about how Andy seemed to own only one sweater since it's all he ever wore outside of work, and he once made a comment about how Andy smelled like a teenage boy which sent Sharon into another fit of giggles. Not daring to question what made his Captain laugh and Andy scowl in such a way, he wisely dropped that particular line of topic. Overall, it was a typical dinner date between the four of them.

When they arrived back home, they found that Rusty was still out for the night so they silently agreed to go ahead and call it a night. Once in their room, Sharon headed directly to the bathroom to get changed and wash her face. Seeing that she left the door open, Andy immediately moved to join her. She was wetting a washcloth at the sink when Andy stepped up behind her and started placing feather light kisses against her shoulder and up her neck. She turned her head to capture his lips with her own, but just before the gap was closed, she suddenly dropped the washcloth, then twisted and turned out of his embrace.

"What's wrong?" Andy asked, confused.

"You have got to wash that," Sharon waved a hand in the direction of his head, "out of your hair. It's like I'm kissing Rusty." Her nose scrunched up at the thought.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Andy threw his hands up in exasperation. "Sharon, I've already showered twice today."

She cocked her head to the side just slightly and gave him a pointed look of warning. "Then you will be sleeping far over on your side of the bed tonight."

"Fine," Andy groaned as he opened the shower door, turning it on for the third time that day. "If we have a spike in the water bill, it's your fault."

Sharon rolled her eyes as she turned back to the sink to finish washing her face once again. "If you say so, dear."

Andy wasn't in the shower long, it was his shortest one of the day since he only took the time to wash his hair. He didn't say anything when he stepped out to dry off, and neither did Sharon, but as he ran the towel over himself with short, jerky movements, he caught sight of the small smile that twitched at her lips and his irritation completely dissipated. It really was rather amusing when he thought about it.

Sharon had started changing into nightgown at the same time as Andy hung up his towel and began pulling on his own night clothes. Her sight of him was momentarily obstructed when she pulled her gown over her head. Once her nightgown was in place, she looked up and startled, finding that he was suddenly standing in right front of her, shirtless. Andy didn't say anything at first, just stepped closer to her until their bodies were pressed firmly together. He lifted both hands and gently threaded them into the locks of hair at the side and back of her head. Tilting her head up, he lowered his own and caught her lips in a slow, languid kiss that he deepened the longer it went on. In response, Sharon slid her hands up his bare back and tugged him closer.

When he finally released her lips, he also loosened his hold on her hair and let his hands slide down her arms before resting them at her waist. He then moved his head to rest against the side of hers and inhaled a deep breath at her hairline. "Better?" he asked, referring to his own scent.

"Hmm," Sharon hummed as she took a deep breath, then another, before confirming. "Better."

Andy dropped his head and placed a lingering kiss against her collarbone. "I just need to brush my teeth, then I will be ready for bed," he murmured against her skin.

When he lifted his head once again, Sharon took the opportunity to grab his face and pulled him to her once more. She didn't let this kiss linger as long, but when she pulled back, she was smiling brightly at him. "I love you, so, so much."

A smile that matched hers spread across Andy's face. "I love you, too."

-End-

A/N: Even though this is a birthday gift for my partner in crime, I would love to know what the rest of you think. Please leave me a review!

Also, if you aren't reading it already, we have a fathership prompt that we are writing together and we would love for you to check it out. Please let us know what you think of it as well. It can be found on my profile under the title The Same, Yet Different :)


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